she needed to focus her energy on the meetings ahead.
She used a home health service for her mother for times she needed to be away. It was horribly expensive, but with her class schedules she couldn’t always be around to make sure Emilia took her pills. Kat had scheduled a nurse to come check in on her mother twice a day for the summer months. She didn’t want the campaign staff gossiping about her needing to leave to take care of her mother. The expense would drain her savings account, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Hopefully, her work on the campaign would pay off with a promotion.
Washington, DC, was alive at this early hour, with staffers rushing into buildings holding steaming cups of coffee. It was a pleasant morning; the heat of the day hadn’t hit, and the famous August humidity was still a couple of months away. The dome of the Capitol rose above all the rooftops. A law limiting the height of buildings effectively eliminated buildings taller than thirteen stories. It gave the city a light, airy feeling. She loved coming here and wished she didn’t have to rush home after the briefings. The Smithsonian museums were free for visitors and contained some of the world’s greatest collections.
Maybe while she was working on the campaign, she could ask Aunt Luce to come look after her mother for a night or two so she could stay a few days in a row.
She checked her phone. Alex had emailed her an agenda for the day, and it showed back-to-back meetings all morning. He’d left a visitor pass for her so she wouldn’t need him to sign in. Most of the congressional members had offices in buildings around the Capitol to accommodate their vast staffs and allow the general public to visit them without the hassle of the Capitol building’s security measures. A subway system connected the office buildings to the Capitol.
Kat stopped outside the building to marvel at the marble facade. Despite lecturing on what happened between its walls, she’d never actually been inside. She followed a rush of staffers into the building and stopped. The ninety-foot atrium rose before her, drawing her eyes upward to Alexander Calder’s famous Mountains and Clouds sculpture featuring black aluminum clouds over black mountains. As people moved around her, Kat stood and stared. It was awe inspiring to experience something she’d only seen in pictures.
“It’s quite something, isn’t it?”
His warm breath tickled her ear, and she froze.
“I’m not sure I like it.”
“Oh?” Alex didn’t move. Just stood there, smelling of clean soap and fresh coffee.
“The sharp angles, the blackness of the sculpture. It seems illusory.”
“Any why is that so offensive to you?” His voice was sardonic.
“This is one of the most powerful buildings in the world. The most senior senators of our Congress use these offices to make policy that affects the lives of people around the globe, whether it’s international aid to disaster victims or sending troops into battle. Everything should convey the gravitas of the power and responsibility here.”
She felt him step away from her and turned. He was eyeing her with open curiosity.
“For once, I agree with you. Come, let me show you to our offices.”
She followed him through the atrium and to the elevators. They went up to the dual-level suite of offices for the senator. He quickly introduced her to the staff, who all greeted her with the same warmth—and barely concealed scrutiny—that the campaign headquarters staff had.
He showed her to a cramped area that the staff used for their break room. There was a laptop on a small table. “Space is a premium here, so we can’t give you a desk, but you can use this space when you come visit if you need to check email or make a call. This is also where we keep the coffee.”
He refreshed the cup he’d been holding then held out the pot for her. She grabbed a disposable cup and let him fill it.
“Alex Santiago pouring a cup of coffee—now, that’s something I didn’t think I’d ever see.”
He turned and smiled broadly. Kat studied the woman who had sparked such a brilliant response from him.
“This is Mellie Rodgers. She is the senator’s highly capable executive assistant.” Mellie was almost as tall as Alex and was impeccably dressed in a pale pink suit that would’ve made Jackie O look fashion-challenged. Her auburn hair was styled in a chignon, and her pinch-toed maroon shoes probably cost as much as Kat’s rent. All of a sudden she felt frumpy, despite the fact that she was wearing her best suit, a tailored navy pinstripe with a gray silk blouse underneath. Of course her shoes were sensible flats since she’d known she’d have to walk a bit from the parking lot at Union Station.
“What he means is that I’m the person who keeps tabs on the senator’s whereabouts and keeps Alex in check.” She reached out and straightened his tie. It hadn’t been crooked, but was now. “If you need anything, Katerina, you let me know. Apparently we’re to roll out the red carpet for you.”
Kat stared at Mellie’s retreating figure. “What did she mean by that?”
Alex took her to his office and shut the door. He glanced in the mirror on the back of the door and adjusted his tie. Kat suppressed a smile.
“You’ll find a lot of interesting staff in this office and working for the campaign. We unfortunately have to indulge donors who make significant contributions by giving their children jobs.”
“That should be illegal.” Kat knew she sounded naive, but she couldn’t help it.
“That would make my job so much easier. During campaign years we can send them to headquarters or one of the field offices, but all of the staff here have been with us for a number of years.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because it’s understood that staff who get their jobs because of who their daddies are get limited access and responsibility until they prove their worth.”
“Oh,” she said simply.
“But you are the exception because the senator has said that he wants you to be fully involved.”
She took a big sip of her coffee, nearly burning her mouth.
He went behind his desk. The office wasn’t large, but it was certainly bigger than her closet office at the college. He had a carved wood desk with some trinkets on it but not a lot of the personal junk that normally littered desks. By the window was a more functional wood table with a computer, printer and various office paraphernalia.
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